Michigan: Nursing home shortage looming in Motor City

Nursing homes in Southeast Michigan are experiencing a budget crisis, and the area could soon face a shortage of skilled nursing facilities, according to a recent report.

The Detroit Area Agency on Aging on Sept. 29 released its findings on the state of local long-term care. As many as 17,000 seniors in Detroit over the last decade died sooner than their suburban counterparts due largely to lack of access to quality long-term care, according to the DAAA. Many of the city's nursing homes are too reliant on rapidly dwindling Medicaid funds, and the area nursing homes are closing at a rate of one per year, the report also states.

The DAAA recommends increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, as well as boosting recruitment and retention efforts. The agency also suggests developing additional services and supports for long-term care residents.

About 60,000 elderly or disabled Medicaid recipients in Louisiana are being told they should expect to lose their benefits in July, and advocates say more than a quarter of them could be forced out of the long-term care facilities they call home.